Post by Judith Eastman on Oct 3, 2021 15:27:10 GMT
In the middle of all the me-centered things, I forgot about POTM. That's entirely on me.
All four of our submissions, and our one honorable mention, are in the mission.
The last post, as it is by an admin, is an honorable mention. It's not eligible to win.
Polling will, as usual, stay open for 48 hours. We'll do a runoff if necessary.
All four of our submissions, and our one honorable mention, are in the mission.
{Submission #1, by Ic Arbrell}Here's what the nominator wrote:
Here's the post itself:
He saw the anomaly through others’ reactions while still in the midst of mooning over the image on his screen. He saw it in individual shockwaves, blind behind each set of eyes as waves of reds and violets leaked through his veins, so thick and brilliant that the color almost surprised him when finally he turned to look for himself. It turned pale on a dry tongue as the ship shook. The klaxon cried in strident harmony. He braced himself, but even the chair felt weak.
It hadn’t made sense to him why he should have come along on this mission. After losing his senses to some wicked shadow creature, and experiencing a nearby violent death for the first time on the planet the station orbited, the planet his mother now lived on, Ic hadn’t exactly been the most effective member of the crew. If he’d ever been at all. The crisis that followed in his mother’s living room only a week ago remained unresolved in his mind. He wasn’t cut out for Starfleet, he’d argued, though it felt like pleading; he wasn’t remotely useful anywhere else, his conscience chimed. But he’d made friends (sort of), she reminded him (though he added the parenthetical on his own)-- and she had just bought this house: where else would he go?
The next person who asks you to do something, trust them and do it, she said. The assignment came four hours later. It hadn’t made sense why they’d want him there.
Until now.
His mother was right. The universe was too beautiful to give up on. Even if it killed him. Especially if.
Ic heard Ensign Vulbrix more clearly through the tone of thoughts in his direction than what he spoke out loud. “Not that thing, no,” he returned, somewhat laboriously. His voice was thin and distant, almost spectral as it pulled unwillingly from the swarm of warring emotions (theirs in his bones and flesh, his in heart and soul). Ic would not normally have used language with another Betazoid, but there was no other way to delineate fact from feeling to communicate; courtesy to the rest of the bridge crew was hardly a consideration as he extracted each word from the volume of his pulse.
It was easier to answer Rin; not because he was supposed to use language with the Bajoran, but because there was nothing else he’d rather use it for.
“If it is what I think it is, and there is indeed n-normal space detectable beneath, what, thirty million terajoules, that has to be a graviton ellipse. It’s—” (the most glorious way to be ripped apart) “—going to eat us, probably.”
His attention diverted briefly from the anomaly to check his knowledge against the readings. It wouldn’t be remotely useful anywhere else— or ever again. Why was it still only others’ fears in his blood?
You can read the post in context here.
There's been some amazing posts but Ic's response to us facing the Ellipse was so matter of fact and made me chuckle at the same time.
Here's the post itself:
[Ensign Ic Arbrell —Bridge, USS Mac]
He saw the anomaly through others’ reactions while still in the midst of mooning over the image on his screen. He saw it in individual shockwaves, blind behind each set of eyes as waves of reds and violets leaked through his veins, so thick and brilliant that the color almost surprised him when finally he turned to look for himself. It turned pale on a dry tongue as the ship shook. The klaxon cried in strident harmony. He braced himself, but even the chair felt weak.
It hadn’t made sense to him why he should have come along on this mission. After losing his senses to some wicked shadow creature, and experiencing a nearby violent death for the first time on the planet the station orbited, the planet his mother now lived on, Ic hadn’t exactly been the most effective member of the crew. If he’d ever been at all. The crisis that followed in his mother’s living room only a week ago remained unresolved in his mind. He wasn’t cut out for Starfleet, he’d argued, though it felt like pleading; he wasn’t remotely useful anywhere else, his conscience chimed. But he’d made friends (sort of), she reminded him (though he added the parenthetical on his own)-- and she had just bought this house: where else would he go?
The next person who asks you to do something, trust them and do it, she said. The assignment came four hours later. It hadn’t made sense why they’d want him there.
Until now.
His mother was right. The universe was too beautiful to give up on. Even if it killed him. Especially if.
Ic heard Ensign Vulbrix more clearly through the tone of thoughts in his direction than what he spoke out loud. “Not that thing, no,” he returned, somewhat laboriously. His voice was thin and distant, almost spectral as it pulled unwillingly from the swarm of warring emotions (theirs in his bones and flesh, his in heart and soul). Ic would not normally have used language with another Betazoid, but there was no other way to delineate fact from feeling to communicate; courtesy to the rest of the bridge crew was hardly a consideration as he extracted each word from the volume of his pulse.
It was easier to answer Rin; not because he was supposed to use language with the Bajoran, but because there was nothing else he’d rather use it for.
“If it is what I think it is, and there is indeed n-normal space detectable beneath, what, thirty million terajoules, that has to be a graviton ellipse. It’s—” (the most glorious way to be ripped apart) “—going to eat us, probably.”
His attention diverted briefly from the anomaly to check his knowledge against the readings. It wouldn’t be remotely useful anywhere else— or ever again. Why was it still only others’ fears in his blood?
You can read the post in context here.
{Submission #2, by Kova Sh'qaleq}Here's what the nominator wrote:
Here's the post itself:
Kova's eyes narrowed at Gates as he began to explain that he was simply doing his job. Her head tilted slightly as her attention focused on the side of his face rather than his eyes. Her blue fingers moved so quickly, that she was certain he didn't realize what had happened until she had flicked the tip of his ear. "Round, not pointed," she said. Vulcans were the only people that seemed to crave any sort of apathy. It was strange that this human was oblivious to his affect on that man.
"He's terrified," said Kova. The fact that she was paying more attention to the man's emotional state than Gates was unsettling even for her. "You explaining how he may or may not die isn't helping. You don't have to lie... just be less forthcoming with the truth." It seemed like an adequate proposal in the Andorian's estimation. "Be... optimistic. It's what you pink-skins excel at, right?"
There was another shudder of the ship. This wasn't an extended conversation that the pair of them could carry. The server may require more attention, but even if he didn't, there were likely others that needed Gates' expertise. The looming glow beyond the viewport, however, was a silent reminder that all of this could be for nothing. Still, optimism... it was the pink-skins' forte. Maybe it'd actually pay off for once.
Tag: Felicity Ellis (Gates)
You can read the post in context here.
This was some quality Kova humor. She manages to be snarky and kind at the same time, her concern showing through her icy exterior.
Here's the post itself:
Kova's eyes narrowed at Gates as he began to explain that he was simply doing his job. Her head tilted slightly as her attention focused on the side of his face rather than his eyes. Her blue fingers moved so quickly, that she was certain he didn't realize what had happened until she had flicked the tip of his ear. "Round, not pointed," she said. Vulcans were the only people that seemed to crave any sort of apathy. It was strange that this human was oblivious to his affect on that man.
"He's terrified," said Kova. The fact that she was paying more attention to the man's emotional state than Gates was unsettling even for her. "You explaining how he may or may not die isn't helping. You don't have to lie... just be less forthcoming with the truth." It seemed like an adequate proposal in the Andorian's estimation. "Be... optimistic. It's what you pink-skins excel at, right?"
There was another shudder of the ship. This wasn't an extended conversation that the pair of them could carry. The server may require more attention, but even if he didn't, there were likely others that needed Gates' expertise. The looming glow beyond the viewport, however, was a silent reminder that all of this could be for nothing. Still, optimism... it was the pink-skins' forte. Maybe it'd actually pay off for once.
Tag: Felicity Ellis (Gates)
You can read the post in context here.
{Submission #3, by Kaya Som}Here's what the nominator wrote:
Here's the post itself:
Kaya couldn't quite relax into the biobed, not with the shard of spaceship still stabbed deep in her belly. But with the captain's announcement and the calm certainty of the medical crew, Kaya felt significantly less doomed. She'd always been the type to cooperative with doctors so she had very few protests or heroics as Dr. Harrison and the nurses got her settled.
Just one last wish as the anesthesia began to kick in:
"Don't let Nork touch anything. He's not authorized ..."
zzz
[ Old!Kaya Som | Bridge ]
Kaya Som was nearly eighty-seven years old, a soft old Trill woman with grey hair and deep laugh lines. She wasn't the oldest engineer on the first Mac, but had over the decades become the undisputed most expert hand in its care and feeding.
"Vek'tela with the captain, already." Kaya shook her head and rolled her eyes at Linus. Of all the things to hang on to, of all the things to drag forward, the trappings and circumstance of Starfleet rank and protocol was the least important to Kaya. There were far more compelling things to obsess over, like demolishing the temporal through-line by slapping the pert little arse of your twenty-six year-old alternate universe self, or seeing for the first time in years the faces of people who'd been dead for a decade.
They materialized on the bridge of the second Mac and Kaya was suddenly reminded how much memory lived in the cells of the body,far more than they rested in the mind. The events of this day in 2381 had been studied intensely, picked over with a laser scalpel, combed for clues to help their self-rescue. Individual narratives of the fall were immortalized as stories told over and again on or abouts the anniversary. The piece of hull plating that had impaled Kaya so long ago got longer and more jagged at every retelling. The death of her friend Oarren no longer made her heart tighten. But here, now, suddenly on the bridge, Kaya was transported. She placed her hand on her chest and looked around.
The air was electric with exhaust, but beneath the damage, everything was so new. And the people - they were all so young. They looked as fresh as new holograms complete with bloody uniforms.
"L'nora, ja'kala," Kaya muttered.
You can read the post in context here.
Old!Kaya's post is so beautifully written, I don't even know where to begin to describe how much I love it; I am not as gifted a writer as she is to even describe it. Please just read it, and marvel at the absolute perfection.
Here's the post itself:
[ SCPO Kaya Som | Sickbay ]
Kaya couldn't quite relax into the biobed, not with the shard of spaceship still stabbed deep in her belly. But with the captain's announcement and the calm certainty of the medical crew, Kaya felt significantly less doomed. She'd always been the type to cooperative with doctors so she had very few protests or heroics as Dr. Harrison and the nurses got her settled.
Just one last wish as the anesthesia began to kick in:
"Don't let Nork touch anything. He's not authorized ..."
zzz
[ Old!Kaya Som | Bridge ]
Kaya Som was nearly eighty-seven years old, a soft old Trill woman with grey hair and deep laugh lines. She wasn't the oldest engineer on the first Mac, but had over the decades become the undisputed most expert hand in its care and feeding.
"Vek'tela with the captain, already." Kaya shook her head and rolled her eyes at Linus. Of all the things to hang on to, of all the things to drag forward, the trappings and circumstance of Starfleet rank and protocol was the least important to Kaya. There were far more compelling things to obsess over, like demolishing the temporal through-line by slapping the pert little arse of your twenty-six year-old alternate universe self, or seeing for the first time in years the faces of people who'd been dead for a decade.
They materialized on the bridge of the second Mac and Kaya was suddenly reminded how much memory lived in the cells of the body,far more than they rested in the mind. The events of this day in 2381 had been studied intensely, picked over with a laser scalpel, combed for clues to help their self-rescue. Individual narratives of the fall were immortalized as stories told over and again on or abouts the anniversary. The piece of hull plating that had impaled Kaya so long ago got longer and more jagged at every retelling. The death of her friend Oarren no longer made her heart tighten. But here, now, suddenly on the bridge, Kaya was transported. She placed her hand on her chest and looked around.
The air was electric with exhaust, but beneath the damage, everything was so new. And the people - they were all so young. They looked as fresh as new holograms complete with bloody uniforms.
"L'nora, ja'kala," Kaya muttered.
You can read the post in context here.
{Submission #4, by Myker Vulbrix}Here's what the nominator wrote:
Here's the post itself:
Had he been the same person he’d been early in his Starfleet career and when they’d entered the ellipse he would’ve stuck his tongue out at the Vulcan or more likely flipped him off. He didn’t, he did the mature thing and simply ignored Nork, having little interest in engaging with him. The whole superiority complex thing got old very fast and these days Maddox only had time for one annoying shipmate at a time, and that was reserved for his spouse, who drove him crazy but he wouldn’t have it any other way. She was incredible inside and out. The same question plaguing the Vulcan plagued the human, how in hell had he gained the attention of the Chief Engineer. He was still working out that mystery.
Without much regard for the protocols, which were long phased out in their life his spouse announces they’re going to engineering. Ever the one to get stuff done, she made it clear there was no point in arguing or saying anything to the contrary. Mads wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but helping her. "I'm with the old lady, work must be done. he remarked about going to engineering. ‘Captain’ Ellis had little choice in the matter as the Trill headed out even as Nork uttered more words, which were completely ignored by Mads. Good luck he uttered to the Bridge where the crew were starting to break off and head where they needed to, work had to be done and fast.
[Maddox Russell - Enroute to Engineering Prime!Mac]
Mads looked over at Ellis briefly before following his spouse, he would offer assistance where she’d need an extra set of hands would speed up the tasks they had to get on with. The lack of Starfleet protocols, Mads thought Kaya had really come into herself, allowing herself to just be. Mads always toed the line and the protocols falling away was both a blessing and curse, but for the most part it benefited the crew and helped relationships.
This had been planned for weeks, months even. It would take everyone doing their part and a near perfect execution for them to pull this off. Mads had faith in this crew, some of them trained by himself and others who had been there since this fateful day. Mads fell a few steps behind his wife, watching her briefly. Her younger self would be in sickbay, recovering from something that would change a huge part of her identity...and yet here she was as much Kaya as the day they were swallowed by time and space. He shook his head catching up to the engineer simply by taking larger strides. "It looks worse than I remember.” The man noted as he followed his spouse through the treacherous spaces towards engineering.
Mads questioned whether this day would repeat itself in exact detail, would every console break in the same place, would every bone snap at the exact second. Would engineering have the same bodies as when they’d come through. It seemed that it was almost an exact copy, like a rewatch of an old episode of some show from a time long gone. Their steps would take them past the place where Kaya had been injured and D’Amato lost. The woman's words didn’t surprise him, "Of course my dear.” They were tight for time but this little deed to honor a fallen colleague wouldn’t eat too much into this time, it would be worse were they to overlook it. One thing it did prove, Kaya Som had a big heart.
You can read the post in context here.
I'm nominating first few sentences of the last paragraph in particular. Snoop did a lovely job of describing the strangeness and uncertainty of the oldtimers' experience.
Here's the post itself:
[Maddox Russell - Bridge, Prime!Mac]
Had he been the same person he’d been early in his Starfleet career and when they’d entered the ellipse he would’ve stuck his tongue out at the Vulcan or more likely flipped him off. He didn’t, he did the mature thing and simply ignored Nork, having little interest in engaging with him. The whole superiority complex thing got old very fast and these days Maddox only had time for one annoying shipmate at a time, and that was reserved for his spouse, who drove him crazy but he wouldn’t have it any other way. She was incredible inside and out. The same question plaguing the Vulcan plagued the human, how in hell had he gained the attention of the Chief Engineer. He was still working out that mystery.
Without much regard for the protocols, which were long phased out in their life his spouse announces they’re going to engineering. Ever the one to get stuff done, she made it clear there was no point in arguing or saying anything to the contrary. Mads wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but helping her. "I'm with the old lady, work must be done. he remarked about going to engineering. ‘Captain’ Ellis had little choice in the matter as the Trill headed out even as Nork uttered more words, which were completely ignored by Mads. Good luck he uttered to the Bridge where the crew were starting to break off and head where they needed to, work had to be done and fast.
[Maddox Russell - Enroute to Engineering Prime!Mac]
Mads looked over at Ellis briefly before following his spouse, he would offer assistance where she’d need an extra set of hands would speed up the tasks they had to get on with. The lack of Starfleet protocols, Mads thought Kaya had really come into herself, allowing herself to just be. Mads always toed the line and the protocols falling away was both a blessing and curse, but for the most part it benefited the crew and helped relationships.
This had been planned for weeks, months even. It would take everyone doing their part and a near perfect execution for them to pull this off. Mads had faith in this crew, some of them trained by himself and others who had been there since this fateful day. Mads fell a few steps behind his wife, watching her briefly. Her younger self would be in sickbay, recovering from something that would change a huge part of her identity...and yet here she was as much Kaya as the day they were swallowed by time and space. He shook his head catching up to the engineer simply by taking larger strides. "It looks worse than I remember.” The man noted as he followed his spouse through the treacherous spaces towards engineering.
Mads questioned whether this day would repeat itself in exact detail, would every console break in the same place, would every bone snap at the exact second. Would engineering have the same bodies as when they’d come through. It seemed that it was almost an exact copy, like a rewatch of an old episode of some show from a time long gone. Their steps would take them past the place where Kaya had been injured and D’Amato lost. The woman's words didn’t surprise him, "Of course my dear.” They were tight for time but this little deed to honor a fallen colleague wouldn’t eat too much into this time, it would be worse were they to overlook it. One thing it did prove, Kaya Som had a big heart.
You can read the post in context here.
The last post, as it is by an admin, is an honorable mention. It's not eligible to win.
{Submission #5, by Felicity Ellis}Here's what the nominator wrote:
Here's the post itself:
"You do not tell me how to speak to my Gespar[fn]A tangy Vulcan fruit; Nork's nickname for Kaya Som[/fn], komihn[fn]Human.[/fn]," Nork responded tartly to Kaya Som's ancient spouse. The Vulcan still had not figured out how this sub-par specimen had won her attentions over him. It was not logical.
He was accustomed to her jibes over his brief time as acting Chief Engineer. She brought it up at least once a month.
"Nobody else could do it," he said, reciting the familiar lines, "I was our only hope."
But they were already leaving. People did that a lot to Nork, often without giving him the opportunity to respond. He had become used to it. "I will be in Stellar Cartography," he announced to nobody in particular, and then swept from the Bridge. His latest area of expertise had begun as a hobby, a way to pass the time and occupy his powerful mind, but it had become very apparent in a short period of time that he was the most talented of all the crew in this area.
You can read the post in context here.
I like how Flick has Nork call Kaya a tangy fruit.
Here's the post itself:
[Old!Nork - Bridge, USS Mac]
"You do not tell me how to speak to my Gespar[fn]A tangy Vulcan fruit; Nork's nickname for Kaya Som[/fn], komihn[fn]Human.[/fn]," Nork responded tartly to Kaya Som's ancient spouse. The Vulcan still had not figured out how this sub-par specimen had won her attentions over him. It was not logical.
He was accustomed to her jibes over his brief time as acting Chief Engineer. She brought it up at least once a month.
"Nobody else could do it," he said, reciting the familiar lines, "I was our only hope."
But they were already leaving. People did that a lot to Nork, often without giving him the opportunity to respond. He had become used to it. "I will be in Stellar Cartography," he announced to nobody in particular, and then swept from the Bridge. His latest area of expertise had begun as a hobby, a way to pass the time and occupy his powerful mind, but it had become very apparent in a short period of time that he was the most talented of all the crew in this area.
You can read the post in context here.
Polling will, as usual, stay open for 48 hours. We'll do a runoff if necessary.